In Conversation with Nick Feldman, electronic music producer and tutor

We caught up with Nick Feldman, the tutor who will be leading our Music Production in Ableton Live evening course in January 2025.

Nick has over 25 years of electronic music production and performance experience having performed at Glastonbury, Boomtown, Shambala and across Europe and Japan. Nick has been a professor in the Electronic & Produced Music department of the School since 2017. He is a specialist in Ableton Live and has been teaching the software for music production, sound design and performance since 2012. He has used the software extensively for his own musical projects since the program first appeared on the market. He was previously running the London Ableton User Group.
 

Tell us your biography in one sentence.

I’m an educator, electronic music producer and performer, video artist and event producer.

Can you tell us a bit about your career to date? 

I actually started out as a graphic designer before moving into being a sound/video technician and event producer professionally. I had always been producing and performing electronic music live during this time and was glad to consolidate my accumulated knowledge and skills in that area into my teaching work from 2012. 

In January you'll be leading the Music Production in Ableton Live evening course. What can people look forward to getting out of this course?

For some people it will help to demystify the whole production process and for others it might be a good chance to explore what Ableton Live specifically has to offer for modern music production. 

For those who may be new to the Ableton Live software, can you give a brief description of what it is and what it can be used for?

This is by far my favourite DAW (digital audio workspace), which I feel enables the most creative workflow. As the app name suggests, it has also always been centred around live performance – so it has quite a wide range of uses. I’ve used it for performance since the first version emerged in 2001 but I also produce all my music in it after it became more capable in that regard.

What advice would you give someone who might be feeling nervous about getting started using Ableton Live?

I think its workflow helps to compartmentalise different aspects of the production process and that, once you know its quirks, it’s easier to use than most other comparable DAWs. It also has the largest number of physical controllers that directly engage with the software. 
 

Lastly – what’s one of your favourite creative projects that you’ve used Ableton Live to create?

I’ve recently used it to create a new album comprised of experimental electronic music that can be delivered over immersive audio sound systems. This culminated in a live performance over 24 speakers at the Sound/Image festival here in London. It was great not having to move over to another program for the live show!
 

Music Production in Ableton Live will run on Tuesday evenings from 21 January – 25 February 2025, and takes place online. Spaces on this course are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.